Poll: Most Palestinian Authority Arabs Oppose Talks With Israel

Most Palestinian Authority (PA) Arabs believe the resumption of peace negotiations with Israel was a mistake, according to a new poll released Wednesday, and more than two-thirds believe the talks will fail, Israel National News reported.

The survey was conducted by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center (JMCC), a Palestinian-Arab organization that polled 1,200 Palestinians in the Fatah-controlled West Bank and Hamas-ruled Gaza between Nov. 13 and Nov. 17.

Palestinians are divided over the best way to achieve a state, with 32.3 percent favoring negotiations (down from 36.8 percent in March). Nearly three in 10 Palestinians (29.3 percent) backed "armed resistance" (violence) and 27.1 percent supported "non-violent resistance."

Recent polls indicate that Palestinians are skeptical that talks with Israel would lead to a resolution of the conflict.

Earlier this month, a poll conducted by An-Najah University in Nablus found that more than 70 percent of PA Arabs expected the negotiations to fail.

And more than 58 percent thought renewed negotiating efforts “would lead to another ‘intifada,’ or terror war against Israel,” according to the Israel National News.

The Jerusalem Post reported that according to the JMCC poll, West Bank-based PA President Mahmoud Abbas maintains the most trust among Palestinians (20 percent) compared to 11 percent for his Gaza counterpart Ismail Haniyeh.

Also, 61 percent of respondents said the PA’s performance was good, compared to 33 percent who called it bad.

Most Palestinian Authority (PA) Arabs believe the resumption of peace negotiations with Israel was a mistake, according to a new poll released Wednesday, and more than two-thirds believe the talks will fail, Israel National News reported.